FA ends inquiry into Xhaka yellow card incident from Arsenal v Leeds two seasons ago | OneFootball

A yellow card gambling probe against Granit Xhaka during a Premier League game between Arsenal and Leeds United in December 2021 has hit a dead end, reports the Daily Mail.

The Swiss midfielder was booked in the 4-1 win and anti-corruption investigators looked into the incident as a suspicious gambling activity.

The FA investigated for six months and escalated it to a criminal inquiry.

However, the matter has been dropped, without any charges being brought earlier this summer and Xhaka was never accused of wrongdoing.

The biggest bets on the game were made in unregulated cryptocurrency markets, thwarting the efforts of the investigators.

A crypto operator registered in Curacao lost £400,000 on bets placed on the former Arsenal midfielder to be booked.

However, the International Betting Integrity Association were unable to take up the case as the company is not part of their registered members.

Footballers have been landing themselves in trouble for betting activities recently, with Brentford striker Ivan Toney one of the most high-profile cases.

He is currently serving an eight-month ban for 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules for offences which took place between 2017 and 2021.

The FA have also been conducting a secret five-month investigation into suspicious bets on Lucas Paqueta getting booked in three West Ham United games.

Fortunately for Xhaka, he was never accused of committing any offences and will not have to worry about anything going forward.

The 30-year-old signed for Bayer Leverkusen this summer after seven seasons with Arsenal and has since been replaced by Declan Rice.

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